A member of Derek Brunson’s fight camp informed him on Monday by a member that the Ohio Athletic Commission had denied his fight license based on an eye exam he had submitted.

It was part of his licensing for a fight with Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza at next week’s “Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey” event.

“He’s like, ‘Hey, you can’t really say anything,'” Brunson said of the conversation. “(UFC matchmaker) Sean (Shelby) is on a flight to Japan, but your fight is gone. They won’t approve your eye exam in Ohio. They said your eyes have to be a certain standard without your contacts for you to fight with your contacts.'”

Strikeforce parent company Zuffa LLC maintains internal standards for fighters’ corrected and uncorrected vision. The company reviews the medical paperwork for all the fighters it employs.

Today, the commission received paperwork from Zuffa that Brunson’s uncorrected vision is measured at 20/400, which disqualifies him from receiving a license in Ohio. The minimum for uncorrected vision is 20/200 in either eye or 20/60 “with both eyes.” Although the state does not bar the use of contact lenses, the requirements are designed to protect fighters in the event that they are knocked out during competition.

Strikeforce officials today said they are searching for a replacement for Brunson (9-0 MMA, 3-0 SF) to fight Souza (14-3 MMA, 4-1 SF) and declined comment on the fighter’s medical situation. “Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey” takes place March 3 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The event’s main card, including Souza’s fight, airs on Showtime while preliminary-card fights air on Showtime Extreme.

Brunson said his current eye exam – which was conducted by an opthamologist the same day he received word he was scratched from the card – showed that his vision had deteriorated since his previous one, which had served to clear him for three previous Strikeforce appearances. The middleweight now plans to get Lasik surgery within the next 10 days to correct his vision.

But Brunson noted that he hadn’t noticed any deterioration of his vision in recent months and that fighting with the soft contact lenses he wears daily hadn’t impeded his performance.

“I’ve wrestled four years in college; I fought two amateur fights and nine pro fights, all with my contacts,” Brunson said. “I’ve got them knocked out a couple of times, and it never was an issue. I’m near-sighted. I can see close up fine. It’s just far away I can’t see.

“Within range? I can see kicks and punches coming. I can wrestle, anything, perfectly fine. It’s the far away things. Ten feet away, I won’t be able to see you. But I wear my contacts, so I won’t have that problem. If they get knocked out in a fight, we’re within range, and I can see everything fine.”

“I’ve got to get it done,” he said. “Fighting is what I do. I made a commitment to fight, so this is what I’m planning to do for the next 10 to 15 years. So I’ve got to get it done, regardless of what the situation is.